This year, I’m so excited (and very lucky) to attend the 60th Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. I could have flown, and I love flying—but a road trip sounded like more fun. Especially since my Uncle, AKA the former owner of my Wrangler LJ, lives in Moab. A few days of off-roading before and after the event sounded like a win-win to my father and me. I get to attend a really cool event as a member of the media, my dad gets to visit his brother, and I get to go off-roading. No one loses here. But there’s one problem… My LJ gets about 11 miles to the gallon on a good day, and I don’t have a truck or a trailer to tow it there, as most people do. Driving it 950 miles one way sounded akin to torture (and incredibly expensive).
Toyota
Because I’d be off-roading, I reached out to Toyota and asked if they’d let me take one of the new 4Runners to write a few stories about driving it a few states for the event, doing some off-roading, and then driving it back home. And they agreed—so, I have a brand new 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium coming to me a day before I drive it for 1,900 miles. I’ll be driving through the Sierra Nevada mountains, taking it off-road on Long Canyon Drive into Canyonlands National Park, and then to and from the media events. Since I’ve reviewed the higher-end TRD Pro trim, I have a baseline of what to expect. But here’s what else I’m anticipating.
The Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road isn’t a hybrid, so mileage won’t be great
You can buy the TRD Off-Road Premium with either the 275-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged, gas-only four-cylinder engine or the 326-horsepower 2.4-liter turbocharged inline-four i-FORCEMAX hybrid system. We all know the hybrid system in the 4Runner, Land Cruiser, Tacoma, and the Sequoia is—by now at least—not necessarily engineered to prioritize higher mileage. In fact, the hybrid version only improves mileage by 1-2 mpg in combined and city driving, but on the highway, the gas-only version is better; the gas version is rated for up to 27 mpg on the highway versus 25 mpg for the hybrid. My tester came with the gas-only setup, so hopefully that extra boost in mileage shows itself—especially with these prices.
Toyota
On a drive that long, I’m anticipating a bit higher than 25 mpg because I’ll be spending 99.9% of the time on the highway. When I drove the Land Cruiser 1958 from Bend, Oregon, to Portland, Oregon, I was getting close to 29 mpg. Since the Land Cruiser is quite a bit heavier than the 4Runner and it has the same hybridized engine and transmission, I’m willing to bet I’ll get over 30 mpg if I stick to 65-70 mph. If I don’t, I’ll be very, very shocked.
It won’t be as comfortable as the Toyota Sienna, but I’m prepared to be surprised
Toyota 4Runners, no matter the generation, have never been known for a luxury-like ride quality. They were truck-y and durable, so they rode like, well, trucks. My sister has a 2024 4Runner, and I can say from experience that it definitely rides like a body-on-frame SUV. I’ve driven the TRD Pro when I lived in Oregon, and it wasn’t the most cushy option for city driving, but it was amazing off-road. Very planted, secure, and confident.
Kristen Brown
While I’ve driven a 4Runner around town and on short bouts of highway driving, I’ve never driven one for an extended road trip like that. At higher speeds, I’m expecting it to ride more comfortably than my Subaru, Jeep, or old Land Rover would. Since every other car I’ve driven to Moab didn’t have any sort of adaptive cruise control, I’m especially excited to use that. I loved it in the Land Cruiser, so I’m sure I’ll be head over heels for it in the 4Runner.
Every inch of that trunk is going to be used up
Because I’m not having to check a bag in or worry about fitting my belongings into a carry-on, I’m planning on bringing a lot more gear than I would have otherwise. More filming gear, hiking clothes and boots (because I’m absolutely hiking in Arches), gym clothes, extra camera lenses, the whole shebang. With 48.4 cubic feet, there’s plenty of space for my large suitcase, as well as my dad’s suitcase, road trip snacks, and a cooler for our energy drinks, sandwiches, and iced coffee. We won’t even have to fold the second row.
Kristen Brown
But if we did, we’d have over 70 cubic feet of space. I’m sure I’ll be bringing home some merch from either the event or some of the souvenir stores downtown, but I’m not worried about there not being enough space. Even if I bought up an entire store’s inventory, I’d have the rear seats to fill up with items, too.
I’ll absolutely appreciate the extra torque and power in the mountain passes
I’ve made the trek out to Moab to visit my uncle a few times now, each time in a different car. The first time it was in my Subaru, and the most recent time we drove in our 1996 Land Rover Discovery. Both SUVs had one very annoying thing in common: because they were full of people and gear (as well as being underpowered from the get-go), they both struggled noticeably when we were driving through the mountain passes. The second they were put in front of an incline, it became a struggle.
Toyota
The 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium won’t have that problem, especially not with the hybrid system. The hybrid setup generates 465 lb-ft of torque compared to the gas-only version’s 317 lb-ft of torque. Even with the trunk full of my and my dad’s luggage and road trip essentials, I’m not worried about a lack of power over the mountains—not one bit.
I can’t WAIT to take it off-road
Part of my trip will involve driving with my uncle on Long Canyon Drive into Canyonlands National Park. It’s not a road that’s as crazy as some of the other trails in the region, so I won’t need half of the upgrades that come with the TRD Off-Road Premium, like monotube Bilstein shocks, a locking rear differential, steel skid plates, larger 33-inch tires on 18-inch wheels, and four-wheel drive. I probably won’t need to engage 4WD for that trail until I reach Pucker Pass, since I’m going up the trail. It won’t be super technical, but it will be scenic (and make for some really nice photos).
Because it’s a shelf trail, though, I’ll be especially grateful for the Multi-Terrain Monitor system that comes with this trim level. The system acts sort of like a digital spotter, utilizing a suite of strategically placed cameras to project real-time views of the 4Runner’s immediate surroundings directly onto the 14-inch touchscreen. While traditional cameras help with backing up, MTM adds specialized front, side, and even underbody through-the-hood views that essentially make the engine bay transparent on screen, allowing you to see exactly where your front tires are placed relative to sharp rocks or hidden ruts.
For a trail like Long Canyon, this tech is less about hardcore crawling and more about high-definition peace of mind—I’ll be able to hug those narrow shelf-road edges with surgical precision and clear the famous rock tunnel without ever having to unbuckle and hop out to check my clearance.
Final thoughts
If you couldn’t tell, I’m very excited to drive the 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium to Moab. Yes, I know I’ll be a fish out of water in a sea (er, town) full of Jeeps for the week—but I’m so excited to spend the time with my dad without having to try and wrangle two toddlers, to visit my uncle, to experience the Easter Jeep Safari, and take it off-road in my downtime. The 4Runner will be the catalyst for a damn good time.
About the author
Kristen Brown
Contributing Writer, Autoblog